The Seebäderschiff Kaiser was used by the German Navy as turbine experimental ship in 1906. In August 1914 it was assigned as mine layer, operating first in the North Sea. In 1915 it was used in the Baltic Sea and returned to the North Sea again in 1918 to lay defensive mine barriers against British submarines in the German Beight.

Taken over by Britain in 1919, it was bought back by Germany in 1921 and used as a Seebäderschiff again. Used as a floating barrack since 1938, it was reactivated as a mine layer in World War 2 as well.

Taken over by the Soviets in 1945 as Nekrasov , given to Poland in 1947 as Beniwski , scrapped 1954